By Deborah Hassan
President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that he will not allow a repeat of the #EndSARS protests in the country.
He made this disclosure on Tuesday, November 17, at a meeting with the National Security Council.
This is a departure from the earlier position expressed by the president during the protests in October when he said he recognised the democratic rights of the Nigerian youth to peaceful protests during a meeting with the minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, at the State House, Abuja.
However, the minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi, who spoke with newsmen at the end of Tuesday’s meeting, stated that President Buhari assured Nigerians that he will carry all relevant stakeholders along in the process of maintaining peace in the country.
365Daily recalls that the #EndSARS protests were peaceful until hoodlums hijacked it. In Abuja, videos surfaced of many of the hoodlums being allegedly transported in government vehicles and accompanied by state security agents.
In Lekki, Lagos State, the protest turned violent after soldiers were seen in a video footage shooting at peaceful protesters.
Many lives and properties were lost in the incidents across the country including private and government vehicles, buildings alongside widespread looting and vandalisation.